Chicago prepares for something big

Chicago: With up to a million partiers likely for Obama, extra cops on hand

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, November 4, 2008

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Lifelong Democrat, Ronnie "Woowoo" Wickers, makes it perfectly clear who he is supporting in tomorrow's presidential election, as he stumps for Barack Obama on the corner of Dearborn and Washington Streets in downtown Chicago, Ill. on Monday Nov. 3, 32008. He also calls himself the "number one Cubs fan." less

Lifelong Democrat, Ronnie "Woowoo" Wickers, makes it perfectly clear who he is supporting in tomorrow's presidential election, as he stumps for Barack Obama on the corner of Dearborn and Washington Streets in ... more

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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A woman walks past a banner supproting US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama near the Grant Park where Obama will hold his election night rally in Chicago, Illinois, on November 3, 2008. Front-runner Barack Obama and his comeback-seeking White House rival John McCain dashed through critical states in a frenetic final blitz on the eve of US elections. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) less

A woman walks past a banner supproting US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama near the Grant Park where Obama will hold his election night rally in Chicago, Illinois, on November 3, ... more

Photo: JEWEL SAMAD, AFP/Getty Images

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A tear runs down the face of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as he speaks about his grandmother who died earlier on Monday, during a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, November 3, 2008. On the eve of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, Obama's grandmother Madelyn Dunham died after a battle with cancer. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA) less

A tear runs down the face of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as he speaks about his grandmother who died earlier on Monday, during a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, ... more

Photo: JASON REED, REUTERS

Chicago prepares for something big

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From State Street to Lake Michigan, from the South Side to the Loop, the famed Windy City is bracing for something really big today - no matter how Election 2008 turns out.

In Grant Park, ringed by a jeweled necklace of trees turning autumn colors, armies of security officials, police and workers were at work Monday for what this town hopes will be a mega-victory celebration for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the former community organizer whose roots run deep here.

The event is expected to attract possibly a million residents to a city celebrated for its vibrant African American culture, in part because of the potential for history in the making - the possible election of the nation's first African American president.

The extra cops, set-up, security, transportation and overtime will cost ChiTown an estimated $2 million, though the Obama campaign said it is picking up the tab.

But there are also signs that the city is preparing for tougher stuff with the kind of security usually seen in this sports-crazy town at mega-events like the Super Bowl and the World Series.

On Monday morning, teams of workers erected a wall of thick, bulletproof glass around the podium where Obama will address the crowd on election night. The speaker's platform in the Hutchinson Field area of the huge public park is within sight of thousands of windows in the downtown region. For security reasons, photographers on scene were forbidden to take photos of the site until Tuesday morning.

About 70,000 residents, out of the hordes who applied, are expected to have gotten e-mails Monday giving them the golden tickets needed to get to the area near Obama's address.

But Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has predicted that hundreds of thousands more could descend on the downtown to be part of the scene.

That means the city's popular watering holes, like High Dive Moonshine, are preparing for election night parties to welcome the overflow. The 1st Ward Young Democrats expect to crowd Moonshine for a chance to watch the moment on TV together - as they try out the new $3 "Change" brew - a special American Harvest beer release created for the occasion.

Win or lose

Indeed, Chicago is getting ready for the onslaught - win or lose.

The city has ordered all firefighters, even off-duty ones, to go home Monday with their safety gear in tow - helmets, oxygen tanks and other apparatus - in case they will be required to respond to immediate emergencies.

Leave has been canceled for all Chicago cops, and some have been assigned to polling places that promise to be particularly busy.

Businesses in the immediate area of downtown have been asked to send their workers home at 3 p.m. to help control gridlock as streets close.

Police ready

"I'm extraordinarily confident that we can keep Sen. Obama safe, that we can keep the citizens of Chicago safe and that we can keep the neighborhoods safe.

"We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best," he said.

Still, nerves might be a little frayed with the recent revelations that two white supremacists had been nabbed for allegedly plotting to kill Obama and a number of other African Americans.

Jerry Kellman, the Chicago community organizer who urged Obama to move from New York to Chicago and became an early mentor of his here, said that Chicagoans are proud - and ready - for a special night and hope the city will be the setting for a historic moment that appeals to the best in all Americans.

"At this point in history, we have to trust the Secret Service, the professionals who do that job to keep Barack safe," he said. "There's no question that the political rhetoric has been really irresponsible," he said, adding that it could cause some to act up or act out in some way, though not necessarily life-threatening.

"You stir this stuff up, in Bosnia or anywhere, and it's bad for civility and public life," he said.

Danger is a given

Tony West, the Oakland attorney and longtime Obama friend and fundraiser, said that anyone who runs for the nation's highest office understands that there are dangers to be dealt with - especially in an election this hard-fought.

He's confident that whatever happens today, Chicago - and Obama- will be just fine.

"The fact is, he's got the best protection in the world ... this has been a very intense campaign, and we've had unprecedented participation by people who have never been interested or involved before.

"And that will involve a lot of feeling," he said.

Hilary Shelton, the director of the NAACP's Washington, D.C., bureau, told the AP, "We've unfortunately seen there's a few fringe people who want to create havoc, so it makes sense to have extra security ... the flip side's that any heavy-handed presence of law enforcement at polls could be intimidating."

McCain to watch the count at his lucky spot

After attending a midnight rally Monday in nearby Prescott, Ariz., Sen. John McCain's election night party is scheduled to be held at the swank Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix. About 2,000 supporters are scheduled to attend - along with 3,000 media members.

McCain will give his main address outdoors on the resort's lawn, framed by Camelback Mountain. His supporters will be scattered throughout the resort's ballrooms, and his address will be beamed to them and some members of the press via closed-circuit television.

The senator is known to be superstitious, and the Biltmore holds many fond memories for him. It is where he married his wife, Cindy, and where he essentially wrapped up the Republican nomination with his strong Super Tuesday showing earlier this year.

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